Mixing and discharging concrete



April 7, 1925. 1,532,941

E. L. RANSOME MIXING AND DISCHARGING CONCRETE Filed July 18. 1915 r J3 a \Z\\t\\\ i B E H G 1 4 Inventor:

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- Patented Apr. 7, 1925.

UNITED STATES I 1,532,947 PATENT OFFICE.

ERNEST LESLIE RANSOME, OF PLAINFIELID, NEW JERSEY.

MIXING AND DISCHARGING CONCRETE.

Application tiled July 18, 1916. Serial No. 109,909.

To all wlwm it may concern:

Be it known that I, E mns'r L. RANSOME, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Plainfield, in the county of Union, State'of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mixing and Discharging Concrete, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to the mixing and discharging of concrete by the aid of compressed air, and the means employed in such operations. I

Heretofore it has been the practice to some extent to mix concrete and similar materials in a retort Or in a conduit by placing the aggregates in the retort, closing or restricting the outlet of the retort and admitting compressed air so that it will pass through the materials and agitate them. Such an operation, and an apparatus adapted to carry out the same are shown in United States Patent No. 873,345, to William L.

Cannifi, dated December 10, 1907, and this apparatus has been used for the purpose designed both with grout and with concrete. When the mixing is done in whole or in part in a conduit the aggregates have been forced through the conduit by air pressure, as described in United States Patent No. 1,067 781, to the said Canniff, deceased, dated July 15, 1913, and the conduit has at times been provided with baffle-plates or similar devices adapted to agitate the materials. The present method, however, is superior to both of these former methods, and results in a quicker and more thorough mixing and discharge of the concrete at a smaller expenditure of power and labor. By its use the concrete aggregates are supplied with water and subjected to the agitating action of volumes of compressed air rushing there through and expanding, and the mixed concrete is discharged by gravity and propelled through the discharge pipe in a manner which not only preserves the mixture, but tends to insure a thorough and intimate commingling of all the aggregates, while at the same time, in the discharging operation, blowing of the air through the column of concrete in the discharge conduit is prevented.

In the practice of the improvements the concrete aggregates are first placed in an open vessel, preferably of form tapering from top to bottom, and air and water preferably first injected into the bottom of the mass and caused to pass upward there-.

through. This produces a boiling movement and at the same time a strong agitation of all the particles of the aggregates due to the passage therethrough of the compressed air and water, and also to the expanding ac tion of the compressed air. Water may also be supplied to the mixture at any other point if desired. When the mass has been thoroughly mixed a gate or valve in the bottom of the vessel is opened, and the batch allowed to pass therethrough by gravity, assisted by the action of the compressed air introduced in proximity to the point of discharge, and preferably at one or more additional points in the discharge conduit, which not only serves to propel the mass but creates suction and pressure thereon, first tending to separate them slightly and then forcing them together and into more intimate contact.

The apparatus adapted and intended to carry out this process is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which the figure is a vertical longitudinal section taken medially of such an apparatus.

In the said drawings, represents a hopper and mixing vessel, provided with a charging funnel A, through which the materials enter it, and which also serves to prevent the liquid portion of the mixture from splashing out. The central aperture A of the funnel is of sufficient size to permit the free exit of the air as supplied to the bottom of the vessel in a compressed state and expanding as it passes upwardly therethrough. The lower contracted portion A of the hopper is adapted to hold the aggregates during the mixing operation, and is provided with a neck A at its bottom turned in the direction of the discharge conveying conduit.

The compressed air inlet nozzle E enters the neck A at the bottom and is pointed in the direction of the discharge opening. It is supplied with a water conduit H communicating therewith and an auxiliary air supply pipe E extending into the discharge conveying conduit G, and also pointed in the direction of the discharge. The nozzle E, auxiliary air pipe E and the water supply pipe H may all be supplied with separate valves controlling the flow of fluid therethrough, and these valves if desired may be controlled by means whereby the first and last named may be opened to the desired extent by one movement, and one or both of them closed and the second opened by a s1ngle manipulation. I

It will be seen that compressed air and water entering the bottom of the mixing chamber are given a rotary motion by striking the curved gate B and will pass upwardly through the materials therein, causing a strong agitation thereof and an v1nt1- mate mixture of the said materials wlth one another and with the water. In this operation the only resistance offered to the upward movement of the water and compressed air and the expansion of the latter is the materials themselves, and that the upward passage of the air and water will be rapid at first, if water is supplied simultaneously with the air, until the materials are thoroughly saturated and then slower but more diffused. This action may also be regulated to any desired extent by regulation of the supply of compressed air and water. By the time the compressed air has reached the top of the mass in the mixing chamber it will have expanded to a considerable extent, and will thence escape through the large opening A to the outer atmosphere.

After the batch has been mixed to the desired extent the gate B is opened to permitits discharge. This is done by means of the operating handle C held in position by the quadrant D, the position of the gate when fully opened being indicated by dotted horizontal lines at the top of the gate chamber F, the said gate chamber being closed by the cover F The mixed concrete will now pass by gravity into and through the discharge conduit G to a suitable receptacle or into a conveying conduit, its movement being aocelerated by compressed air from the pipe E or E or both which not only compresses it and forces it through the discharge conduit, but. as before stated, tends to exert a suction thereon and alternately expand and compress the mixture.

What I claim 1s: 1. An apparatus for mixing concrete and the like comprising a vessel of greater depth than width, provided with an opening at the top, a compressed air nozzle at the bottom thereof having a fluid discharge opening of smaller area than. the opening at the top of the vessel, and a valve at the lower part of the vessel for the discharge of its contents, said valve having a concave surface opposite the nozzle disposed in a substantially vertical plane.

2. An apparatus for mixing concrete and the like comprising a vessel of greater depth than width, provided with an opening at the top, a compressed air nozzle at the bottom thereof having a discharge opening of smaller area than the opening at the top of the vessel, and a member at the lower part of said vessel opposite the said nozzle having an inclined surface constructed to receive the impact of air discharged from said nozzle and to divert it upwardly, said member being movable from the path of said nozzle.

3. An apparatus for mixing concrete and the like comprising a vessel adapted to receive materials to be mixed, said vessel having an opening in its upper part and a valve controlled opening in its lower art, a discharge conduit communicating wlth said was sel through said opening in its lower part, a nozzle communicating with the lower part of said vessel in proximity to said discharge opening, an air conduit and a water conduit communicating with said nozzle and arranged to discharge air and water into the said vessel therethrough, and means for directing the said air and water upwardly through the vessel when the discharge opening is closed, said nozzle arranged to discharge fluid into said discharge conduit when the said lower opening is opened.

4. The herein described method which con sists in passing compressed air and water upwardly through materials to be mixed while the said materials are held in an open retort and thereby agitating and hydrating the same, then causing the same to move by gravity past the point where the air is supplied and injecting compressed air thereinto in a substantially horizontal direction as they pass.

5. An apparatus for mixing concrete and the like comprising a vessel provided with an upper opening, a. compressed air nozzle at the lower part thereof having a fluid discharge opening, of smaller area than the opening at the top of the vessel, a valve at the lower part of the vessel opposite said fluid discharge opening, and said valve having an upwardly inclined surface opposite the nozzle.

6. An apparatus for mixing concrete and the like, comprising a vessel provided with upper and lower openings arranged to receive the aggregates to be mixed, a valve for closing the lower opening and confining the said ag regates therein, a fluid conduit communicating with the lower part of said vessel and arranged to discharge fluid upwardlv therethrough and through the ag gregates when the valve is closed. and through the said lower opening and the aggregates passing therefrom when the said valve is opened.

7. The herein described method of agitating concrete or the like in a vessel and discharging it therefrom which consists in placing the concrete in the vessel. iniecting compressed air thereinto upwardly from the bottom thereof, then permitting the concrete to pass from the said vessel and simultaneously injecting thereinto as it passes air under pressure in the direction of its movement in passing from the vessel.

8. The herein described method of agitating concrete or the like in a vessel and discharging and conveying it therefrom which consists in placing the materials in the vessel, injecting compressed air thereinto from the lower part thereof, then permitting the materials to pass from the said vessel by gravity and simultaneously inject- 1 ing thereinto as they pass air under pressure in the direction of its movement in passing from the vessel.

Witness my hand this 7th day of July,

1916, at the city of New York,'in the county 1 and State of New York.

ERNESTLESLIE RANSOME. 

